Baptism Dress from Hey June Larkspur

This little miss celebrated a big birthday this year. She turned 8 years old and in our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it’s the time when many children choose to get baptized. It’s a special day and that special day called for just the right dress to commemorate the occasion.

We scoured the internet together looking at countless dresses for inspiration. I was expecting her to fall for a full, twirly skirt or something with tulle, lace, or lots of ruffles. I was so pleasantly surprised when she declared this JCrew number was her perfect dress:

This is totally something I’d want to wear. I love the simplicity, the neckline beadwork, pockets, and the classic look. What I didn’t love was the $200 price tag and the fact that it was sleeveless. This is when I’m so grateful that I sew!

I knew the Larkspur Dress from Hey June had just the silhouette we wanted. It was the perfect pattern for this look and a quick sew to boot!

I used a Casa Collection Satin from Joann’s (really wishing we had more formal fabric options close by). It worked great but is a bit too sheer for my liking. In hindsight I should have just lined the whole dress instead of using the pattern facings but she wears a slip and it’s fine. I rarely sew fancy dresses and fabrics and learn something each time! I’ve got to get better because I really can’t wait until I can sew my girls formal dance dresses!

I did the simple version of this pattern, short sleeves and left off the collar. I did an invisible zipper instead of the exposed zipper in the instructions. I love that this pattern can make a cute casual dress and then really shine in this formal fabric too! I really gravitate toward simple shapes and lines and this shift dress just speaks my language.

I searched high and low for the right ‘bling’ for the neckline. I finally found these in the scrapbook section at Hobby Lobby. This dress will only be worn occasionally and will be hand washed so I’m crossing my fingers they hold up. I really love the variety of shapes and the dimension they bring to the look. This girly loves her accessories and is giddy that this dress comes with a built-in necklace.

For her bow I enlarged the free bow pattern from Duchess and Hare. I used a matching button from her sister’s baptism dress and love the sentimentality of it. I think the bow is so sweet and makes the outfit more youthful.

This is a picture of her with her blessing dress from when she was a baby. My mom made her blessing dress and I just love how well these coordinate. So simple but stunning in my book!

We had so much fun on this photo shoot. It’s been awhile since we went on location and it couldn’t have been more perfect. We hit golden hour on a quiet weeknight, no crowds and one happy, willing model. She loves her dress and felt like a princess and it showed. I’m so used to taking product pics that it was a joy to be able to really showcase my little miss. I loved capturing all her expressions and personality!

I showed her some pictures on Pinterest and she’d stop me and say, “Ok, mom- I need the scriptures for this shot.” Or “I think I this spot is a perfect background.” I had a few passersby stop me to comment on how cute she was. One lady even told me that my little model was making my job too easy! She really was so much fun to shoot and didn’t want to stop!

The above pic is enhanced with a little action called Book Glow from Pretty Actions. I usually stay away from overly editing pics but since these pics are really just for personal use I had a little fun with them!

I’m so grateful for this spunky, smart, sweet little girl. She’s so fun and I can’t believe I get to be her mom! This shoot and the whole weekend was such a great reminder of why I sew. I was able to create the dress of her dreams; one that made her shine and added to the joy she felt on her special day. It’s not about the clothes but how they make them feel when wearing them. Here’s to many more dresses and fabulous days ahead…